Kitsune Blood
by SofusGirl
Summary: Usopp was caught, tortured and experimented on. Now he's no longer fully human. What's he become? Will the others save him? And if they do, what'll happen to him? What's this with a fox? Read to find out. Non-con, torture, slight SanUso at the end.


**Lenght of story: **7 962 words.

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** This will have slash, meaning boyxboy, so no flaming, 'cause you've been warned ;) There WILL be non-con, (meaning raep, ppl!) Some OoC, and kind of AU

**Summary:** "Ah, good, it's activated. Subject 429's body didn't reject the change. Two more weeks, and we can finalize it, with the last dose" Usopp was caught, tortured and experimented on. Now he's no longer completely human. What has he become? Will the others save him? and if they do, what will happen to him? Read to find out.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Nothing except the plot, Yasei, Rubi and _those pirates! (_you'll know who I mean later)

**A/N: **For this one I was strongly inspired by the fact that the VA of Usopp is the same as the VA of Inuyasha :D And so this story started to take form ;)  
Hope you'll enjoy it^^, Please leave a review saying what you liked/disliked, and what I could do better. It will help me greatly in evolving my writing skills ;)

* * *

**Kitsune Blood**

_by Sofusgirl_

He didn't know how long he had been chained up there. It could be weeks or months... He had lost count a long time ago. He knew he'd been here a while though. Ever since those people, those filthy excuses of pirates, had caught him in the market. They had just picked a random person off the streets, and were thrilled to find out that he was a part of the Straw hat pirates. They had mentioned using him as bait, but had decided not to. Instead he was their plaything. The shiny new toy, which one man had claimed for himself. As if he could own the great captain Usopp! As if he could scare him. Nope, he wasn't scared, no matter how many times that man violated him! Not at all... Well... maybe a little... He heard heavy footsteps. _He _was coming again. He had learned to recognize that sound by now. That disgusting man had done so much awful to him.  
"Hello, pet." God how he hated that nickname. Almost as much as he hated the man saying it.  
"You still won't tell us where your captain is?" The man asked, amused. The sniper, chained to the wall, glared at him.  
"Never. As if I'd ever betray him to you" He managed to get out.  
"That's too bad, pet" the man said, with a dark grin. He then punched Usopp hard in the guts. He gasped for air, and coughed up some blood.  
"Well, I'll just have to teach you obedience then. Maybe you'll learn this time" the man grinned maniacally, proceeding to punch Usopp over and over. He pulled out a knife and dragged it across Usopp's skin, slowly, lightly. Leaving no mark, no wound. Then he pushed it harder down on his skin and pulled. A wound was made. A not-so-deep cut from his shoulder and towards his elbow. He then poked the knife into the other shoulder, slowly and excruciatingly. It hurt so badly. He stopped when the blade was about three or four centimetres in, then he twisted the blade roughly before pulling it out. Usopp had screamed in pain from the start, but that move left him gasping. The pain was too bad for him to even scream. The man grinned sadistically. He was about to remove his pants, just like he had before. He was a cruel man... But this time someone interfered.  
"It's enough now, Shirokuro. The professor has requested to experiment on him, and the Captain has accepted it. He's to be taken there now. " another man said. Shirokuro nodded, and gave one last punch, knocking Usopp out cold, before dragging him out.

When he regained consciousness he was in a white room, strapped to a... bed? Not quite. More like a desk, with a sheet on. A man with a lab coat was taking notes.  
"Good, he's awake. Subject nr. 429: Usopp. DNA: demon, type: black kitsune" Usopp noticed that he was connected to a machine of sorts. He tried to get free, but was too weak.  
"Don't struggle, pet. It'll only get worse if you do" Shirokuro said to him before leaving, disappointed to lose his new toy. The professor picked up a needle, filled with something Usopp had no idea what was. He tried to move away from it, but it was useless.  
"Professor, are you sure you want to use this on him? It's the only sample we have, and we probably won't get any more. " A woman said.  
"It's for science. He'll need three shots for it to be complete. We can't add all at once." The professor stated, and drove the needle into Usopp's skin. The machines were activated. Usopp panicked, struggled against the cuffs holding him down.  
"They'll come for me you know! And when they do you'll be sorry!" He shouted. Then the great captain Usopp fainted.

The process with the needle was repeated twice. Each time it hurt like a bitch. This last time however, something was different. The professor said something about it activating this time, and completing the next time. Usopp was scared. Not really a big surprise, but this time he was really, _really fucking scared!_ He was once again thrown back in his cell. His back was aching... Everything hurt. Suddenly a sting of pain, from his lower back, something just broke through his skin! That's what it felt like! He screamed in pain, and stood on his hands and knees, panting. Fuck! He didn't know anything could be this painful. The only thing that was worse were the sessions with Shirokuro. The professor returned to his cell.  
"It's working! Quick, sedate him!" the pain suddenly stopped, and all he could feel now was a numbness. He passed out again.

Once again he woke up in his cell. But something was off... He could hear people talking... But he shouldn't be able to. Because the cell was soundproof. At least for human ears, a voice in his head insisted. He shook his head. The he stopped. Shakily he lifted his hands to his head. His bandana had fallen off, and lay on the floor. He felt on top of his head, and felt something that definitely shouldn't be there. Two big fox ears!  
"The hell?" He exclaimed. He staggered backwards and fell, something soft and furry rubbed against his hand. A black tail. A black fox tail! What was going on here? His ears lay flat against his head, as he was panicking. He backed away into the wall when he heard someone approaching.  
"Ah, good, it's activated. Subject 429's body didn't reject the change. Two more weeks, and we can finalize it, with the last dose" the professor said. His assistant took notes and nodded in agreement. They left.

He spent a few days alone. Only when he was fed did someone come near him. He spent this time to explore his new senses. He found out that he had longer, sharper canines than he used to have, like fangs, and his nails were sharpened and shaped into claws. It kind of freaked him out for a while, but he adapted. After all, as long as it was his own body it wasn't as scary as if it had been, for instance Shirokuro... Also, his tail and ears were easy to move, once he got control of it. Like with hands and legs. But there were some things about them he couldn't control. Reflexes and instincts. For instance, when he got scared, hearing footsteps or something his ears would flatten against his head and his tail move so it almost peeked out from between his legs. And when he was curious about something, like a mouse that had crawled into his cell, one ear would stand straight up, the other would be kind of tilted downwards, while his head also tilted to the side, giving him a very quizzical look. His other senses had improved too. His hearing and vision was both _way _better than it had been. And his sense of smell! It was unbelievably sharp. He had scented the mouse before he had seen it, and he could recognize the scents of the ones bringing him food. Once he had even smelled arousal, before he heard one of the guards jerking off. He had covered his ears and nose to block _that _out. He had a feeling he might be stronger and faster too, but he couldn't test it. Mainly because 1) there was no way he could run while chained to a wall, and 2) they didn't feed him enough to give him the energy for such activities. All in all, he had concluded, he acted scarily similar to a fox.

Then he heard steps again. He smelled the air. All his senses screamed danger! He backed away into the wall. Ears flat to his head, as he saw who had come.  
"Hello pet." Shirokuro grinned. Then he frowned.  
"So that's what they meant. Well, you're still pretty, pet, but those new appendages..." he shuddered, and Usopp tried to make himself as small as possible.  
"The professor gave me this, though" Shirokuro smiled viciously, as he held up a syringe, filled with a greenish black liquid.  
"It'll hide those nasty, demonic traits, at least for five days. Which is plenty of time for me to have some fun" Usopp _whimpered_ when Shirokuro advanced on him. Then when the man was standing right in front of him, needle in hand, ready to grab Usopp, he reacted on instinct and, with his sharp claws, he scratched the man in the face, making four long bloody lines from under his right eye, across to the left side of his chin. The man yelled in both pain and surprise, and struck Usopp. Before the sharpshooter had time to react, the syringe was pushed into his veins and the liquid was transferred to him. His body suddenly felt weakened. More so than normally. The extra appendages he had gained vanished, as if they'd never been there in the first place. He was back to looking like he used to, though his senses still were sharpened. He could smell the arousal of the other man. That disgusting sadist got _horny_ from harming him! Usopp tried to get away. He knew what was coming now. Shirokuro grabbed him roughly and held him down. He punched him in the gut, and stabbed him with the knife. Usopp gasped from the pain. The older man made some more, not that deep, cuts, before looking down on the sharpshooter.  
"You'll regret scarring this face, you little whore! You're only good for being a fuckdoll!" he spat before pulling off his own pants and dragging off Usopp's overalls. Usopp felt tears running down his face as he knew what would come next. He was flipped onto all fours, standing on hands and knees.  
'Hurry Luffy. I don't know if I can go on like this!' he thought before the bigger man pushed roughly into him...

* * *

"We're here, Luffy! We'll get him back now" Nami yelled to their captain, as they approached another pirate ship, much bigger than their own "Going Merry".  
"YOSH! We'll kick their asses, and get Usopp back!" Luffy exclaimed confidently. The others could do nothing but agree, as they got ready to board the other ship. Luffy's hat cast shadows over his eyes, showing his seriousness. Zoro had his hands on his swords, ready to pull them out any time, Robin stood calm, but her eyes showed her anger. Sanji had lit his cigarette, Nami had her clima tact, and Chopper was ready in his human form. They were ready. After searching for a little over two months they had found him. And they were not going to leave him with his abductors. They were going to get their sniper back!

They fought their way through the guards and lesser pirates aboard the ship. They fought until every fighting member of the "Kagaku" pirate crew was either unconscious or dead. They finally arrived at the cell holding Usopp. A big muscled man with white hair and black eyes was standing over Usopp's beaten, unconcious body. He looked at them and seemed to freeze.  
"S-straw hat!" he stuttered. As if he hadn't expected them to bother finding Usopp. He got a hard punch in his face, effectively knocking him out. Nami started to cry as she saw how wounded Usopp was. How pained and broken he looked. Sanji, being the only one with free hands, and enough strength to do so, lifted Usopp up, and they began to walk out of there. An older man in a lab coat blocked their path.  
"Wait! Y-you can't take him! The experiment must-" he was interrupted by Sanji's foot meeting his head. The Straw Hat pirates left the ship, with their sniper.

* * *

When Usopp woke up again he was in unfamiliar surroundings. He noticed the sterile scent of an infirmary or laboratory, and started to panic. He didn't want to be experimented on anymore! He wanted it to stop! He couldn't take anymore of the torture-like experiments, followed by beatings and rape. Tears formed in his eyes. He then noticed that he wasn't tied up. He took this chance and attempted to get up and get away.  
"Usopp! You have to stay still. Your wounds aren't completely healed yet!" Usopp recognized that voice, and stopped. He stopped, and smelled the air once more, to confirm the suspicion. Chopper! He was back on the "Going Merry"! He collapsed on the floor sobbing. He finally noticed the bandages he was wrapped in.  
"I'm back" he sobbed.  
"Thank god I'm back" Chopper looked at him.  
"Usopp, you must rest. Your wounds aren't healed yet..." he insisted. Usopp looked at him with teary eyes and smiled weakly. He stood up, walked over to the bed and lay down. One of the bandages slipped down a bit, revealing a scar. Not a wound. Chopper's eyes grew wide.  
"How? It shouldn't have healed yet..." just then the door opened, and the entire crew entered.  
"HE'S AWAKE!" Luffy yelled and clung to Usopp, grinning widely. Usopp froze up by the close contact, but hid it well.  
"Careful, Luffy! His wounds probably aren't healed yet. You saw how bad they were!" Nami said, while hitting the captain over the head.  
"Ah, gomen" Luffy said, rubbing his sore head.  
"Actually, it's not that bad" Usopp said, earning a curious, confused look from the others. He pulled off one of the bandages, despite Chopper's protests. The wound there had almost closed completely, and it had been one of the most serious ones. The crew looked at him in shock. They had after all seen how bad it had been.  
"Chopper... How did you manage to heal him so quickly? I didn't think such a thing was possible..." Sanji asked curiously.  
"I didn't... it healed by itself... I don't know how. But a blood sample might help clear things up... That professor said something about experiments. Maybe this is what he meant..." Chopper muttered, while pulling out a small syringe to take some of Usopp's blood.  
"By... itself?" Nami said. Robin observed Usopp closely. Chopper closed in on him, with the syringe. Usopp forgot where he was, who this was, and growled in defence as he backed away from the needle. Chopper dropped it. Usopp was standing against the wall, shivering in fear, constantly keeping his eyes on the reindeer, as if he expected something to happen.  
"What's wrong, Usopp?" he heard a voice say. He snapped out of the trance like state he'd been in, and collapsed into a sitting position.  
"Sorry" he muttered. Robin looked at him. He had a feeling she suspected some of what had happened to him, but she didn't know half of it.

The next couple of days went by almost normally. Usopp was a bit more jumpy, and a bit more alert than usual, but things were getting better, and all in all it seemed to be back to normal. He told his stories to Chopper and Luffy, while Sanji cooked, Zoro slept, Nami drew her maps, and Robin read. The only thing was that the rest of the crew seemed to be nicer to him now a days. Not that he'd complain about that. He was just happy they didn't know that Shirokuro had done more than just hit and cut him. As long as they didn't know that fact things could go back to as close as normal they could get. At least he hoped so. But now Usopp was sitting alone in the crow's nest. Hiding away for a bit. He'd been counting days. Five days, Shirokuro had said.  
'Time's up' Usopp thought, as he felt the change beginning. Soon he had the tail, ears and everything else that Shirokuro had hidden. He sighed and tied his bandana on, hiding the ears. He then lay his tail close to one leg, and kept his overalls over it. His fangs and nails would be harder, but if he was careful it would work out. They had currently anchored by some unpopulated island. It was mainly forest and plains, lots of animals and fruits.  
'Peaceful and perfect for a fox' Usopp thought with a slight smile. The forests made him want to run. He checked the area from the crow's nest. Most of them were exploring the Island. Only Robin and he were on the ship. And Robin was busy reading. He leapt from the crow's nest and landed, unseen, on the ground of the island. He followed his instincts and transformed even more. Now he didn't look human. He was a fox, a black one, though his eyes showed his humanity, and he still wore the bandana. He got it off, and hid it before running off.

It felt so good to just follow his new instincts and run. He stopped and followed scents at times, and he ran around the entire island, before almost running into Chopper. He stopped and watched the reindeer as he cleansed the wound of a small fox kit. The mother-fox was just laying beside them, watching chopper work. Making sure he didn't hurt her young. Those foxes were red, and normal. She was a bit bigger than Usopp, as she was an adult, the kit, on the other hand was way smaller than him. The vixen looked at him, and lay her ears down, but after assessing him non-threatening she raised them again and bowed her head, inviting him over. Chopper noticed her gestures, and looked his way. Usopp was almost afraid he'd recognize him, and backed into the bushes, hiding in the shadows.  
"_It's ok. We won't harm you, young one_" the vixen said. Usopp was surprised that he understood what she said.  
"_Come closer._" She added. Usopp obeyed, hesitantly. He approached them and sat down next to the kit. His ears were flat against his head. He was still nervous about being like this in front of Chopper. But it seemed the reindeer didn't recognize him after all.  
"_Hello. I am Rubi, and this is my kit, Yasei_" the fox said.  
"And I'm Chopper." Chopper said. Usopp grinned, well, as much as a fox can anyways. Chopper could understand him, even when he was a fox.  
"_I'm Uso—I mean Usokage_" Usopp said. He made the name up as he went, it felt fitting. Ha sat a bit straighter, his tail on the ground. He noticed there were more differences between himself and the other foxes. His fur was more curled, almost like his hair while in human form, and his snout was a bit longer.  
"I have to go. Be careful not to walk into those spiky bushes again" Chopper smiled and started walking away after the foxes nodded.  
"_Goodbye Rubi, Yasei_" Usopp said, and winked as he turned back into his humanoid form. The fox-kit stared at him in awe, and the vixen merely looked at him, nodded and walked away with her kid.

Usopp ran through the forest, and over the plains inhumanly fast. He almost stopped as he ran past Luffy, but luckily the kid hadn't seen what it was. He reached the bandana, put it on over his ears, and leapt back into the crow's nest.  
'safe' he thought and sighed. It had felt incredibly good to run freely and just... run. He panted slightly, but it passed.  
'I finally got to test that speed' he mused.  
'I'm definitely faster than a normal human should be. This means that I can get away from trouble easier.' He grinned and looked out towards the open sea. Who knew what adventures were to come? And with that thought he fell asleep in the glow of the setting sun.

* * *

When he woke up, Chopper was standing right above him, with concern in his eyes.  
"Nah, Usopp, you shouldn't sleep out here. You could get sick. Especially considering your wounds." He said. Usopp grinned.  
"The great captain Usopp won't get sick from such a small thing" he bragged.  
"Once I had been injured gravely and slept outside for days. I was sick and injured, but I was determined to fight the great monster of the west. A ferocious beast with ten scaly tails and..." Usopp told his epic story to the listening doctor, who was sitting wide eyed and enthralled with the tale. Usopp loved telling stories to Chopper. He saw the reindeer doctor as the closest he had to a little brother. He also was a great listener, believing in every one of his stories, until Nami or someone else told him they were lies.

He finished his story just in time, as Sanji yelled that breakfast was ready. They walked to the kitchen. The usual chaos met them. Chopper joined quickly, Usopp more hesitantly. He quietly ate his food. Savouring the flavour. He could taste it so much better now, also; going without real food made him much more inclined to really enjoy the meals Sanji cooked. It helped that there were no mushrooms in the food as well... Luffy tried to take some of his food when Sanji stopped him with a foot to the head.  
"Eat your own food" he said, and lit his cigarette. Usopp smiled and ate up quickly. They were leaving the island this afternoon, and he wanted just one more run.  
"I'll just explore the island a bit before we leave" he grinned widely. He knew that before the whole fox-boy incident he wouldn't have dared, but he could smell that there were no dangers on this island, so it was fine, besides he'd ran yesterday as well.  
"Are you sure? I mean, we still don't know if you're completely healed... also, you could get lost." Nami said.  
"I'm fine, and I won't get lost. I'm not Zoro you know." He smirked and started to walk.  
"I saw this mystery thing yesterday. Tell me if you see it, ne?" Luffy said with a wide grin, as usual.  
"Mystery thing?" Robin asked. Luffy nodded.  
"Yeah, it ran really, really fast, and was as big as Usopp, and black and had a tail!" he explained excitedly. Usopp froze, before he remembered that it was himself.  
"Really? I've never heard of such a creature..." Robin said as she turned a page in the book she was currently reading.

Usopp didn't stay for the rest of the conversation. His body was all giddy. He needed to run. He didn't bother shifting into the fox-form, but instead removed the bandana, and freed his tail, before starting to run across the island. He ran and jumped and ran another way. After a while he stopped and sat on a cliff on the opposite side of the island, compared to where their ship was. He looked out to the ocean.  
"_Hello, Usokage_" a familiar voice said. He turned his head and saw the vixen and her kit.  
"Yo, Rubi, Yasei. And the name's Usopp." he said with a smile.  
"_Do you know what you are?_" Rubi asked him. He shook his head. His ears perked up.  
"I'm not sure. Humans did this to me. I used to be completely human as well. Do you know what I am?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. She nodded.  
"_You are a fox demon. Or partly one. A black kitsune. You have a rare blood flowing through your veins._" She explained.  
"_Sugoy! Mama, can I play with him?_" the kit asked. The vixen looked at Usopp, who silently agreed, she then nodded her head and the kit wagged his tail. He jumped onto Usopp, who fell onto his back, and proceeded to nibble playfully on his ear. Usopp shifted to his fox form and pushed the kit off. He then wagged his tail and started a game of tag with the youngling. Rubi just observed as the two played, and she made her decision.

When Usopp shifted back, hid his tail and went back to the ship, the two foxes followed him. The mother was calm and simply walked, while the kit kept jumping around and playing with Usopp's feet. They reached the ship. The kit was distracted by a butterfly and didn't listen to the two others talking.  
"Goodbye then..." Usopp said as he put his bandana back on.  
"_Wait, young kitsune. I wish for you to bring Yasei with you._" Rubi said, pushing her young one to the pirate.  
"Are you sure? It's not exactly safe..." Usopp said, wide-eyed. The vixen nodded.  
"_I know, but I think he'd be happier with an exciting life with you, than a boring life here. He's always asking what's over the big water. Besides, I am ill. I probably will not survive the next days. I fear for Yasei's life when I pass, and I think he'd be safer with you. If you wish to bring him, that is._" She said. Usopp nodded.  
"Hey, Yasei! You want to be a pirate?" he asked with a grin. The kit went wide-eyed and looked at them in awe. He nodded vigorously.  
"We have to leave now... Bye then, Rubi." Usopp pet the fox between her ears as he bid her farewell. Yasei cuddled his mother and jumped up into Usopp's arms.  
"Bye, mother" he said as they walked out of the forest and to the ship.

As they went aboard, Yasei had placed himself on Usopp's shoulder.  
"Now remember, they can't know I'm not human" Usopp whispered, and the kit nodded, while looking around at all the interesting human-made things. Nami was the first to notice him.  
"Usopp's back. Let's go" she shouted, and they lifted the anchor and raised the sails.  
"Eh. Usopp, what's that?" she said as she noticed Yasei.  
"It's a fox kit. He didn't want to stay, and just couldn't keep away from me. His name's Yasei" Usopp grinned.  
"Aaw, he's so cute" she said and pet the kit. Yasei rubbed into the touch, much like a cat, but didn't move from Usopp. Chopper came out from the kitchen, where he'd helped Sanji do the dishes.  
"Eh, Yasei?" he said as he saw the fox. Yasei jumped over to him.  
"_Hi, Chopper nii-san. Mother told me to go with you after I had played with this human, his name is Usopp, do you know him? Are you his nakama?_" the kit said. Chopper just nodded. Usopp chuckled slightly. The kit heard, and ran back to him, jumping into his arms again. The ship had started moving, and Usopp could see Rubi near the shore.  
"BYE FOX-MOTHER!" Usopp shouted, avoiding her real name in order to not reveal that he understood fox-language.  
"_BYE MOTHER!_" Yasei barked loudly, waving one paw to her.  
"_Bye son, goodbye youngling_" Rubi barked back, as she too waved her paw. Luffy had now noticed the kit.  
"What's that, Usopp? Food?" he asked.  
"No! He's my... pet. Yasei" Usopp said.  
"Cool! New nakama!" Luffy grinned, and grabbed the kit, dancing around with him. Yasei was confused at first, but soon he "laughed" and wagged his tail. Soon all the Strawhats knew of their new member, and though he stayed closest to Usopp he had lots of fun, and liked the other ones too. Especially the cook, as he was the one to feed him. That night he slept on top of Usopp's chest, completely relaxed.

* * *

They kept sailing for a week without anything interesting happening. They had stopped at some island and gotten supplies, but it wasn't anything exciting there at all. It was simply an island many pirates used to stock up on supplies. No fights or anything. Luffy was bored, though the others didn't care much. Usopp was getting restless. As was Yasei. Both of them wanted to run again, but they had to settle for playing tag around the ship, which annoyed Usopp, because he had to move so slowly to avoid suspicion. His body itched to run fast, but recently he'd found an outlet. When the crew went to sleep he would sneak out and "borrow" Zoro's weights. With his new strength they were surprisingly easy to lift, but it was still heavy enough for him to work up a sweat, and thus getting out all that extra energy. He'd also been practicing his fox abilities and discovered that one of the abilities he had gained was a slight manipulation of shadows. Which meant he could create shadows where there weren't any, and also make a room darker than it was supposed to be. But not much. He couldn't make the shadows solid, but he could use his ability in order to hide, at least.

The next few days were as dull as the week. Until one day, when they had stopped at a new island. This one was scarcely populated, and seemed dull, but it was the pirate who came there before them that would start the trouble. He had arrived there a week ago, after his captain had kicked him out. He had a nasty scar, four stripes reaching from under one eye, to the opposite side of the chin. It looked as if he had been scratched really hard. He was strong, anyone could tell, and he was also vengeful. No one dared approach him. No one, until the "Going Merry" anchored up on that very island.

"Ok, we'll be here for a week or so, Merry needs a bit of repairs" Nami said as they went ashore. Zoro remained guarding the ship. Usopp and Yasei looked around for a forest to run in later, but for now they were all going to find a hotel or inn to stay in.  
"Nah, Usopp, why can't I play with Yasei?" the captain whined.  
"Because he's my pet." Usopp lied. Yasei wasn't a pet. He was family. Sanji smirked at the impatient captain.  
"Aaw!" Luffy hung his head. Until he could see the food at the inn they had walked into.  
"MEAT!" he shouted and dug in. Nami face palmed. Usopp joined Luffy, though at a much slower pace, and soon Yasei took some bites as well. Sanji had gone off to flirt with some of the ladies there and Nami grumbled and payed for a week's stay at the inn. Relieved when she found out the price included an all-you-can-eat buffet.  
"I'll get the others" Nami sighed as she was ignored. The other people in the inn left to their rooms or just left after a while, leaving only Sanji, Usopp, Luffy and Yasei. Luffy was playing with Yasei, they both seemed to have a lot of fun. Yasei had bonded quite well with the rest of the crew, though he still kept close to Usopp.

Usopp didn't notice the scent that lingered in the air... But he did notice Sanji moving closer to him.  
"Hey, Usopp. I know it's been a while now, but are you sure you are ok after we got you back?" he asked. Usopp stiffened slightly.  
"Of course, why wouldn't I be? It's not like you didn't come or anything" Usopp said. He was lying. He wasn't ok. Not completely, anyways. He moved unnoticeably further away from Sanji. Even though he had forced himself to get over it, the fear of _that_ still lingered, and he didn't like getting too close to the other males of the crew, with the exception of Luffy and Chopper. This was because Chopper was like a little brother to him, and Luffy was... well Luffy. He was too innocent when it came to those things. It still made him stiffen slightly when Luffy would suddenly grab him or something though.  
"Well, you've been acting different lately. Since we got you back you've been more withdrawn than usually" Sanji said, and blew out some smoke. It smelled really strong in Usopp's sensitive nose, but not all bad. It just smelled... Sanji. Damn him for being so perceptive...  
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine. I'm just like I've always been." Usopp lied smoothly. He stood up and started to walk away.  
"Are you sure? 'Cause I'm not sure you're telling the truth here" Sanji said and grabbed Usopp's wrist, yanking him back. Usopp flinched, and for a second he looked panicked, before he regained composure. Sanji let go of him.  
"What's wro-" Sanji was interrupted by Usopp.  
"Just drop it" he growled and stormed up to his room.  
'That's weird. Not like Usopp at all...' Sanji thought.

Yasei stopped playing with Luffy when he noticed that Usopp was gone.  
"_Uso-nii-san, where are you?_" he yipped. He took a deep breath and tracked Usopp's scent to his room. He entered and saw Usopp laying on the bed.  
"Oh, sorry Yasei. I didn't mean to leave you alone down there. I just got a bit... upset" he said to the fox.  
"_It's ok_" the kit leapt onto the bed, and stepped onto Usopp's chest  
"_Just don't leave me again, nii-san_" he said as he cuddled up to Usopp.  
"Ok, Yasei, I won't. I'll protect you" Usopp said. He pet the fox and they eventually fell asleep.

* * *

The next few days went perfectly well. Well, except Sanji kept throwing concerned glances at Usopp every now and then, and Usopp would avoid him as best he could.  
"_Nii-san, you should talk to the Cook_" Yasei stated after Usopp looked at Sanji and sighed. The week was almost over, and they would leave the next morning.  
"Can't do that, they can't know..."  
"_Nii-san, what happened to you before I met you?_" the kit asked. Usopp looked at him with a grin, though his eyes showed sadness.  
"I was captured, I was tortured, I was freed, I met you." Usopp said. A surprisingly short version. Usually he would exaggerate, but he really didn't want to talk about this. Yasei looked disappointed, but didn't push it. Usopp took a deep breath before he started walking towards the inn door, to go to the streets. Then he froze. That scent! It was so familiar. He took another whiff. There was no escaping it. It was definitely Shirokuro's scent! A shudder ran down his spine.

"Miss me?" A voice whispered in his ear. His breath hitched and he started shaking.  
"That's right, pet. I'll get my revenge!" He yelled, grabbing Usopp and throwing him over the shoulder. He started carrying him away when Usopp finally registered what was going on. He managed to kick his knee into Shirokuro's chest, and thus, he got free. But just as he was about to run to the other straw hats Shirokuro grinned.  
"Missing something?" He held Chopper by the neck. The doctor was unconscious. Usopp growled.  
"Re-release him!" he yelled. The crew was now ready to fight.  
"I will. When you give yourself up to me. So come now, pet" Usopp shuddered at the nickname again.  
"Like hell! We won't give into your sick demands!" Sanji said. But Usopp stepped forward. One step at the time. He was shaking with fear, but his "Little brother" would be safe. Yasei tugged at his leg, begging him to stay.  
"_Please, nii-san. Don't go_"  
"I have to. I can't let him have Chopper. Stay with the others. Be nice." Usopp said with a false grin as he petted the fox. He then continued to walk. He approached the man, who immediately released Chopper.  
"Good choice, pet" Shirokuro purred. Usopp gently pushed Chopper away, so that he wouldn't be injured. Then he bowed his head to the foe. A sign of submission.

"Heh! I'll have my revenge! Finally!"  
'Oh, shit! He's finally snapped! He's gone completely insane!' Usopp panicked.  
"Oy! Scarface! Let my Nakama go, or I'll KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy yelled.  
"What did you call me?" Shirokuro glared at the rubber boy.  
"Are you deaf? He said scarface. Because of that butt-ugly scar in your face. What happened? Did you fail while shaving or something?" Sanji mocked.  
"WHAT HAPPENED? That little _whore_ of yours scratched me! That's what happened!" he spat, indicating Usopp. The others looked confused, Usopp couldn't have done that, right?  
"He's not a whore. And he certainly isn't strong enough to do that much damage!" Zoro said matter-of-factly.  
"Oh, pet! You didn't tell them. How cute" Shirokuro mocked. He raised a hand and hit Usopp hard in the face, throwing him into the nearby wall. Usopp whimpered slightly, and curled in on himself to protect his body. Luffy tried to punch the man, but his arm was stopped mid-punch. A barrier of sorts had formed around Shirokuro and Usopp.  
"Foolish boy! I have eaten the shield-shield fruit! I can make shields like these appear anywhere!" he laughed wickedly, and hit Usopp again.  
"Now, over to you, pet" he said, and started pulling on Usopp's overalls. Usopp tried to get away, but was numbed by fear. He tried to lift a hand and scratch the man again, but Shirokuro was quicker, and grabbed his hands, tying them up behind his back. The overalls were now hanging by Usopp's hips, and he didn't dare look at his Nakama. He was too ashamed.  
"I want you to scream for me!" Shirokuro whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear as well. Then he grabbed Usopp's foot, and twisted it until it broke with a sickening crunching sound. He screamed like a injured animal.  
"Ah! Usopp! Usopp!" Chopper, who seemed to have regained consciousness, yelled while he banged on the barrier. Yasei kept throwing himself at the shield.  
"_Nii-san! NII-SAN!_"  
Shirokuro pulled out a whip. He grinned and glowed with glee as he brought the whip harshly down on Usopp's back, creating large welts and bleeding wounds. The whip even wrapped around his neck once, leaving an angry red mark around it.  
Tears ran down Usopp's face.  
"_I'm sorry_" he whimpered. Shirokuro pushed a hand down his overalls, touching his ass. Usopp tried to get away, but couldn't build the courage to do so. Yasei barked, wanting the man to stop, and threw himself at the barrier over and over again.  
"Shut up, fucking fox!" the man yelled and pulled a gun. He pointed it at Yasei, who didn't seem to notice it. Usopp's eyes widened, and though he shivered in fear he managed to stand up, leaning heavily on one leg. He growled ominously. The white in his eyes turned pitch black, and the pupil and iris seemed to glow with a red light.  
"Drop the gun!" he snarled. Shirokuro didn't listen. Instead he just smirked and moved his finger to the trigger, moving to shoot. Usopp didn't waste a second. He jumped up and bit down on Shirokuro's arm. He felt his fangs pierce the skin of the other.  
"Drop. The. Gun." He growled again. Shirokuro again refused to listen, and Usopp tightened his grip. When the man _still_ didn't obey he clamped his jaws shut, breaking the arm. He released the arm immediately and growled. Blood was dripping from his lips. He then managed to get his hands from behind his back to in front of him, thus enabling him to bite over the rope and freeing his hands. He moved forward, but collapsed when he stepped on the injured foot. He whimpered slightly, and looked at Shirokuro, who seemed to ignore his arm, and instead grinned as a plan formed. He grabbed Usopp's bandana, pulling it off.  
"See what your "Nakama" is? A DEMON!" Shirokuro yelled.

The crew watched in shock as Usopp's foot was broken, and they winced as they heard his inhuman cry of pain. Yasei and Chopper both tried to break the shield, Zoro, Nami and Robin watched in shock, while Luffy and surprisingly, Sanji shook with anger. They watched in horror as the man pulled out a gun, and were even more surprised when Usopp jumped up and bit the man.  
"What is he doing? He can't cause any real harm like that!" Zoro said. Just then they heard the boy growling.  
"Drop. The. Gun!" They saw Usopp breaking the arm with only his teeth, and they were shocked. To put it mildly. Zoro had strong jaws, but even he couldn't break an arm like that! To do that you would need not only a strong jaw, but also sharp, strong teeth! They saw Usopp panting hard when he collapsed due to the broken leg. But the biggest shock came as the man, Shirokuro, pulled the bandana off.  
"See what your "Nakama" is? A DEMON!" They watched as two fox ears were revealed, and they watched as Usopp's tail was uncovered.

Shirokuro chuckled and leaned over the frozen sniper.  
"See? Now that they know what you are they'll resent you! You'll be kicked out, like me! You should've let me do as I pleased the first time around, pet" he sneered. The he pulled the overalls further down.  
"You really turn me on" he whispered and pushed two fingers into Usopp. He felt the damage being dealt. The sniper-turned-demon first cried out in pain, then he growled and slammed both his feet into Shirokuro's gut. Usopp cried out in pain at the impact, as it put a lot of pressure on his already injured leg, but noticed the man flying into the opposite wall. The shield dissolved, and the crew came to Usopp. Sanji ran over to Shirokuro and kicked him in the jaw. Shirokuro took the full force of the blow, throwing him into the air, hitting the roof and falling down to the floor again.  
"Dos fleur!" Robin said, and two arms appeared, one on each side of Shirokuro. The arms grabbed his arms and kept him in place.  
"Are you alright?" was asked over and over to Usopp.  
"'m fine..." he growled.  
"I just need to get that bastard! He'll never threaten my nakama. You taught me that, Luffy" he said. His eyes seemed to have turned a blood red, and he made to stand up.  
"No! Usopp, you can't walk on that leg!" Chopper said with teary eyes. Yasei looked at Usopp with pleading eyes.  
"_He's right nii-san! Please listen! I don't want you to die, I don't want to lose you, nii-san_" the fox cried and rubbed against Usopp. Usopp pet his head, and patted Chopper on the hat.  
"Don't worry, Yasei, I won't die. Promise. And Chopper, I won't stand on that leg." He said, and transformed into his fox form, thus further shocking his nakama. He snarled at the injured man on the floor.  
"_I can't let you live to do this to others! I'll kill you!_" he barked out. Chopper translated for the humans. Then Usopp pounced. Careful not to step on the broken leg, he ran on three legs and jumped onto Shirokuro. He dug his teeth into the shoulder of the man. He bit, and tore in the flesh, and let go after a while. He turned back into the human form.  
"I won't kill you. You're not worth it, but let this be a lesson! You don't mess with the Straw Hat pirates!" His ears were standing up proudly as he limped to his nakama. Shirokuro coughed up some blood and glared at the sniper. Usopp turned around and glared back. His ears flattened against his head again.  
"Oh, yeah! And if I _ever _find out you've done something to others, _any _others, that is even remotely similar to what you did to me, then I _will_ kill you" he said. Then his eyes turned back to their normal shade and he let the others bring him to the ship.

* * *

Usopp sat up carefully from the hospital bed in Chopper's infirmary. He had passed out shortly after arriving on the ship. Exhausted after the trauma. He had been terrified; scared more than before, but when that man had pulled out the gun, his fear didn't matter. All that had mattered was protecting his nakama. He noticed that his leg was bandaged, as well as many other parts of his body. His ears and tail remained uncovered, but he had his both clothes on... Chopper must have adapted it to let his tail out...  
"How're you feeling, Usopp?" a voice said. He turned his head and saw Sanji sitting on a chair near the bed.  
"Perfect. This was nothing for the great Captain Usopp!" He said, but winced at the pain in his body when he moved. Sanji raised a brow, and looked at him sceptically.  
"Ok, fine... I feel like shit" Usopp pouted slightly.  
"But I'm all right though... or... I will be..." he sighed. Sanji shook his head and lay a hand between Usopp's ears. The ears lowered slightly, and Usopp leaned into the touch.  
"You don't have to be brave about this. We saw what he did to you. My guess is that he did worse when we weren't there... when you were caught" Sanji said and put out his cigarette. Usopp looked away.  
"It's not your fault you know. What he did to you. It's ok to cry about this" Sanji pulled the younger boy into a hug. At first Usopp just sat there. Stiff, and with his ears straight. Then his ears lay down, he let out a sob and wrapped his arms around Sanji. He let the tears roll down his cheeks, and let Sanji comfort him. Sanji sat there, looking at the broken boy in his arms. He held him tightly, letting him cry, at the same time he tried to hide how close to tears he was himself. What had been done to his Nakama, _his Usopp,_ had been unforgivable. It had been heartbreaking to watch him suffer, and even more so when he had saved Chopper _and _Yasei. So Sanji just comforted the boy. Usopp sniffled, and after a while his tears stopped. He looked up at Sanji with still teary eyes, some of his hair had slipped into his face, and Sanji brushed it away softly. The black curls were so long and pretty, combined with long eyelashes, tan skin and full lips, Usopp really wasn't an ugly boy... Sanji leaned in closer and caught the fox-boy's lips in a chaste kiss. Usopp's eyes widened and he looked confused. Sanji sighed and began to stand up, but just as he was about to walk away, a hand grabbed his wrist. He turned around, and saw Usopp standing up, leaning on his unharmed foot, holding his hand. He pulled lightly on it and Sanji moved closer, grabbing the boy and supporting his weight a little. Usopp looked at him and blushed.  
"Please, don't go" he said, and kissed Sanji with more passion. His tail wagged slightly at the feeling. Sanji was the shocked one now, but soon relaxed into the kiss, and held Usopp close. He licked his lower lip slightly. Usopp gasped, and Sanji grabbed the opportunity, sneaking his tongue in. Usopp let him dominate, and they only stopped when they found out that air might be useful. Both were covered in a slight blush, and looked a bit rumpled, but most of all, they were happy. They lay down on the bed, holding each other tight, hand in hand, keeping the clothes on. Usopp had his tail around Sanji's leg, and he looked so peaceful. They knew this was as far as they could go, for now, but they also knew that with time, all wounds heal. And Sanji might help the progress a bit...

Yasei looked at his nii-san. He smiled slightly.  
'I knew they would find eachother' he thought.  
'Ne, mama, they're in love... Maybe I'll be in love too, someday' he thought as he fell asleep to the sight of his nii-san and the cook cuddling up together.

* * *

**A/N: **hope you enjoyed it^^, Please leave a review saying what you liked/disliked, and what I could do better. It will help me greatly in evolving my writing skills ;) Also if you have any tips about writing in general, that has nothing to do with this story, feel free to add that as well^^,

~SofusGirl


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